Mark Carney’s Liberals win majority government with key byelection victories

Mark Carney’s Liberals have secured a majority government following election gains in two of three federal byelections held on Monday night.

According to CBC News, victories in the Toronto ridings of University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest pushed the Liberals past the threshold needed for a majority in the House of Commons.

Liberal candidate Danielle Martin won in University-Rosedale with a commanding share of the vote.

Speaking to supporters, she said: “This is not a mandate to be quiet. It is not a mandate to take our time. It is a mandate to get to work. On housing, on affordability, on health care, on climate change, on infrastructure and on the future of our economy and the public services that are more important to this country than ever.”

She added she was “extremely humbled” to represent the riding and to “build on the legacy” of “the incomparable Chrystia Freeland.”

In Scarborough Southwest, Dolly Begum also secured victory, helping cement the Liberal majority.

Votes are still being counted in the Quebec riding of Terrebonne, where the Liberals hold a narrow lead over the Bloc Québécois.

The results come less than a year after the Liberals formed a minority government and follow several high-profile floor crossings by opposition MPs.

The latest election outcome strengthens Carney’s position in Ottawa, giving his government a stronger mandate to advance its legislative agenda.